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(No Model.) I

R. A. CHESEBROUGH.

HARBOR DEFENSE,

No. 254.112. Patented Fe b.28;1882.

Wzzesses g3? mg NITEI) STATES,

PATENT, OFFICE.-

RQBERT A. UHESEBROUGH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

HARBOR DEFENSE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 254,112, dated February 28, 1882.

Application filed February 2, 1881. (No model.)

. particularly applicable to the defense of such cities or harbors (the city and harbor of New York, for instance) as are approached by narrow inlets or water-ways, through which vessels must pass to reach the city;

The invention consists in the method of defending a harbor by delivering inflammableliquid through submerged pipes or conduits into the waters thereof, allowing it to rise to the surface, and then igniting and burning the liquid as it floats upon the water, thus covering the water with fire through which vessels must pass to reach the city.

The accompanying drawing represents a vertical section through the bed of a water-way orharbor-inlet, illustrating an apparatus which may be employed in carrying out my invention.

A designates the bed of the water-way or inlet of a harbor, and B B designate hills forts, or fortifications upon opposite shores.

O designates a large tank, which is concealed from view and protected from the shot of the enemy by being arranged behind the hill, fort, or fortification, or by being below the surface of the ground if no fortification is provided along the shore. This tank should be of sufficient size to contain alarge quantity of oil, naphtha, or other combustible or inflammable liquid-say, for example, thirty or forty thousand barrels.

D designates a pump, which may be employed to fill the tank 0 with liquid; and E designates a second pump, which may be used to pump the liquid from the tank when necessary. From the pump E extends a single pipe to a chamber, E, and from the said chamber extend one or more pipes or conduits, F, (here shown as three in number,) which are carried under the base of the hill or fortification B,

and thence by suitable bends or elbows along the bed A under the water. These pipes are here shown as terminating at different points under the water, so as to distribute the inflammable liquid as widely as possible. Any number of pipes greater than three might be similarly arranged.

Each pipe F may terminate under the water in an upturned end or nozzle, so as to give the liquid an upward direction, and each pipe may have in it a valve or cook for controlling the passage of liquid through it, if necessary.

In case the tank 0 were sufficiently elevated above the water it might not be necessary to employ the second pump, E, for delivering the liquid from the tank.

Upon the enemys vessel or vessels attempting to pass through the harbor, inlet, or waterway, all that is necessary to do is to start the pump E, and as soon as the surface of the water is covered with liquid to ignite the same, when the vessel or vessels will be surrounded by fire. the water and igniting it should be'governed by the tide. For instance, it the vessel attempt to pass through during ebb tide, it should be some time before her approach, so that the tide will carry the burning liquid down to and around her; but if thevessel attempt to pass through at flood tide the liquid should'preferably be delivered and ignited just before she arrives, so that she will he forced to proceed surrounded by the burning liquid. By this method the whole surface of the water may be covered by burning liquid, and the extent of obstruction to the passage of the vessel will only be limited by the amount of liquid used.

The liquid might be ignited by rockets or other convenient means, or by introducing into one pipe, F, nearits connection with the chamber E, pieces of metalloid composed of potassium, which, when immersed in the liquid, would not beinfiam m able, but when they are delivered through the pipes and rise to the surface would take fire and ignite the inflammable liquid around them.

To provide for introducing the metalloid, one of the pipes F may have in it a branch pipe or chamber, I), closed by a cap or valve, in which the metalloid maybe contained and from which it may be introduced into the main pipe F at the proper time.

It would not be necessary to fill the tank 0 with liquid or lay the pipes until after the The time of delivering the liquid into breakingoutof hostilities, because if the pipes were kept in readiness they might be laid and the tank filled with liquid in a short time.

It will be readily seen that the enemy would be unable to interfere with or destroy the pipes, as they would be concealed from view and their exact location be unknown.

I am aware that it is not new to provide at a harbor-inlet or water-way a pump or pumps upon the land and pipes leading therefrom, through which torpedoes may be delivered in the waters of the harhorinlet or water-way for blowing up an enemys vessels, and I therefore do not claim this as of my invention.

WhatI claim as my invention, and desire to I 5 secure by Letters Patent, is

The method of defending harbors by delivering inflammable liquid through submerged pipes or conduits into the waterv thereof, allowing it to rise to the surface, and then ig- 2o niting and burning the liquid as it floats upon the water, substantially as herein specified.

ROBT. A. UHESEBROUGH.

Witnesses HENRY T. BROWN, A. (J. WEBB. 

